Ball catcher



J. L. WATERS Sept. 3, 1957 BALL. CATCHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2'?, 1955 f wt .III

Ill-I" lull! IN VENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 3, 1957 J, WATERS 2,805,070

BALL CATCHER Filed May 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jil/2z ier-.5 l

ATTORNEY BALL CATCHER Joseph L. Waters, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 27, 1955, Serial No. 511,463

1 Claim. (Cl. 273 181) This invention relates to an apparatus for catching and collecting balls and has for its primary object to provide an apparatus adapted to be used as a target, catcher and collector for golf balls, and which may be very effectively utilized as a practice device for making various golf shots other than putts.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a target, catching and collecting apparatus which readily adapts itself for outdoor use and which can be located at distances up to two hundred or more yards from a driving tee to provide a target toward which golf balls can be driven and which will catch and collect accurately driven balls, enabling the device to be used for scoring the practice shots.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ball target and catcher which may be made in various sizes for use under different conditions and which likewise adapts itself to use with other types of balls than golf balls and which can be propelled toward the device in any suitable manner.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device into which balls can be propelled while in flight, bounding or rolling.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the apparatus, partly broken away to illustrate details;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken substantially centrally through the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a part of the supporting frame structure;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a part of the apparatus;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a part of the frame of the apparatus, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 7 7 of Figure l;

Figure 8 is a detailed cross sectional view taken through a part of the frame;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the frame, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 9 9 of Figure 2, and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of a part of the apparatus shown detached.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the ball catcher, target and collector apparatus in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 12 and includes a net frame, designated generally 13, having a substantially straight bottom section 14, a'bowed top section 15 and corresponding bowed end sections 16 and 17. Said frame sections are preferably of tubular construction. The end sections 16 and 17 have substantially straight end portions .18, constituting lower ends thereof.

`The frame 13 is supported by front legs, designated generally 19 and 20, and rear legs, designated generally 21 and 22.

Each of the front legs 19 and 20 includes a short length of rod forming a crosshead 23, as best seen in Figure 5, one end of which fits into an end of the bottom section 14 and the other end of which extends into an adjacent frame portion 18. Said parts 14 and 18 are provided with openings, which align with openings of the ends of the crosshead 23 for receiving connector pins 24, by which the front legs 19 and 20 are connected to the bottom section 14 and the frame portions 18, as seen in Figure 4. Each leg 19 and 20 includes a substantially triangular shaped supporting part 25 including an elongated substantially straight intermediate part 26 and end portions 27 which extend upwardly in converging relation to one another from the ends :of the intermediate portion 26, and the upper ends of which are secured to the crosshead 23, adjacent one another and between the parts 14 and 18, engaged by the crosshead. The base portion 26 is disposed beneath and substantially parallel to the parts 14 and 18 engaged by the crosshead and constitutes the surface engaging part of the leg 19 or 20. Each leg 19 and 20 also includes a projection 28 which is fixed to and extends from the intermediate portion of the crosshead 23 and which is disposed at an acute angle to the leg part 25. Said portions Z5 extend downwardly from the bottom part of the frame 13, which is disposed substantially directly thereabove, as seen in Figure 2, and when thus disposed, the projections 23 extend downwardly and forwardly or outwardly from the frame bottom and are disposed in diverging relation to one another.

Each yof the rear legs 21 and 22 likewise includes a rod 29 forming a crosshead thereof, as best seen in Figure 9, each havingone end turnably itting in an end of the top frame section 15 and an opposite end turnably engaging an adjacent upper end of one of the end frame sections 16 or 17. Said last mentioned frame section ends are provided with openings 30 to align with transverse bores 31 of the crosshead 29 for receiving pins 32, corresponding to the pins 24, `for securing the ends of the crosshead immovably in the frame portions engaged thereby. The frame openings 30 and the crosshead bores 31 correspond to openings formed in the frame parts 14 and k13 and bores formed in the ends of the crossheads 23,

respectively. Each of the legs 21 and 22 additionally include a supporting part 33 having a substantially straight intermediate portion 34, constituting the bottom thereof and upwardly Iconverging end portions 3S which extend upwardly from the ends of the bottom portion 34 and the ends of which are suitably secured to the crosshead 29 between the frame parts engaged thereby, as best seen in Figure 9. The bottom support portions 34 are substantially longer than the bottom support portions 26 of the front legs and the end portions 35 of the rear legs are substantially longer than the end portions 27 of the front legs. When the pins 32 are in engagement with the openings 30 and bores 31, the support portions 33 of the rear legs are disposedat slightly less than a right angle to the plane of the frame 13 and extend downwardly and rearwardly from the upper part thereof. Thus, the frame 13 is `supported by the front and rear legs at a substantial incline, as seen in Figure 2. As seen in Figure 7, the crossheads 29 of the rear legs are provided with additional bores 36 which are disposed at angles to the bores 31 and through which the pins 32 can extend -for latching the asesora rear legs 21 and 22 in folded, inoperative positions, not shown, substantially against the frame 13.

The crossheads 23 and 29 function with the pins 24 and 32 for connecting the sections 14, 1S, 16 and 17 to form ,theV net frame 13, of Vwhich said crossheads form parts. A net 37 of woven openwork flexible material has a peripheral portion secured around the frame` 13 in a conventional manner. The net 37 is of sufhcieut size so that it will hang slack on the underside of the frame 13, extending downwardly from the upper part of the frame at a slight angle relative to the plane of the frame, as seen in Figure 2, and having a depending bottom portion 38 which is disposed behind and below the level of the bottom frame portion 14 and having a bottommost central portion through which an elbow 39 extends. The elbow 39 constitutes a hollow conduit and has a ared upper end 40 which rests on a part of the upper or inner side of the net portion 3S around the opening 41 thereof through which said elbow 39 extends. The other lower end 42 of the elbow 39 opens away from the bottom front portion 14 of the net frame and preferably laterally thereof, as best seen in Figure l, and has one end of an open top gutter 43 mounted therein. The gutter 43 slopes downwardly from the elbow end 42 and has an opposite lower end opening into an upper portion of an open top collection receptacle 44 by which said last mentioned gutter end is supported, as best seen in Figure 6. The receptacle 44 is adapted to rest on the ground G outwardly with respect to one side of the net frame 13, as seen in Figure l, behind and adjacent the front leg 20 and forwardly of the near rear leg 21. The bottom portions 26 of the front legs and 34 of the rear legs likewise rest on the ground to support the net 13, 37 in its position for use, as seen in Figures 1 and 2.

A pair of supporting elements 4S, each of which preferably comprises an elongated straight tube, have corresponding ends 46 which telescope over the extensions 28 and are secured thereto 'by pins 47 which extend downwardly through the parts 46 and said extensions 28. The support members extend downwardly and outwardly relative to one another from the lower vfront part of the frame 13 and have their opposite ends 48 resting on the ground G, as seen in Figure 2. A piece of a relatively heavy fabric material 49, such as canvas or duck, is stretched across the support members 45 with the ends thereof extending downwardly to the ground, so as to maintain the portion of the fabric strip 49, which is disposed between the supports 45, substantially tautf One longitudinal edge 50 of the fabric strip 49 rests on the ground G beyond the support ends 48 and the other longitudinal edge 51 thereof overlies the net frame bottom 14, as seen in Figure 2. The strip 49 forms a ramp up which a ball 52 may roll into net 13, 37 if propelled along the ground G, either bouncing or rolling toward the ap-` paratus 12.

The net frame 13 may be made in different sizes, depending upon the use to which it is to be put. Assuming that it is to be utilized as a target for golf balls and is located at a distance in excess of one hundred and fifty yards from a tee from which the golf balls can be driven, the net frame is then preferably sixteen to twenty feet wide between its side portions 16 and 17 and ten to fteen feet in height between its bottom portion 14 and top portion 15. The bottom 14 is preferably supported by the legs 19 and 20 about two feet above the ground G and the top portion 1S is preferably supported by the rear legs 21 and 22 approximately ten feet above the ground.

ItV will be readily apparent that if a golf ball 52 is accurately driven toward the target 12 that it may directly enter through the net frame while in flight. The net 37 is suiliciently loose and slack so that the ball 52 will not rebound therefrom out of the net, and it will be readily apparent that the ball will roll by gravity to the central part of the net bottom 38, onto the flange 40 and thence into and through the elbow 39, from which it will roll by gravity down the gutter 43 into the collecting receptacle 44. Similarly, if the ball is accurately driven and is bounding or rolling along the ground G toward the net, it will roll up the ramp 49 and will ultimately reach the receptacle 44, in the same manner as previously described.V Thus, the target 12 may be used outofdoors in practicing diierent types of long golf shots to enable the golfer to practice not only driving for distance but also for accuracy.

It will also be apparent that the apparatus 12 may be utilized with other types of balls or spheres which are driven or otherwise propelled. Additionally, the target apparatus 12 maybe made of smaller size for use where a ball is propelled a shorter distance to the apparatus and therefore where greater accuracy can reasonably be expected.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously bel resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter delined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A combination ball catcher, target and collector com prising an endless net frame including a bottom portion and a top portion, a'pair of front legs connected to and depending from said bottom portion, a pair of rear legs connected to and extending downwardly and outwardly from the top portion, said legs supporting the net frame at an incline, a flexible net having a perimeter secured to the net frame, said net being loosely suspended beneath the frame and including a bottom portion located below the level of and adjacent said frame bottom, each of said legs including a crosshead, said frame being formed of tubular top and bottom sections and end sections, end portions of said crossheads telescopically itting into end portions of said frame sections and constituting parts of said frame, each of said legs including a relatively long ground engaging base portion and upwardly converging leg portions rising from the ends of the base portion and having upper ends secured to the intermediate portion of the crosshead, each of said front legs having a substantially straight supporting member secured to and extending from the intermediate portion of the crosshead thereof, said supporting members extending downwardly and forwardly from the bottom portion of the frame in diverging relation to one another and having outer free ends adapted to rest on the ground, and a strip of a heavy fabric material stretched across said supporting members and having a forward edge resting on the ground beyond the outer ends of said supporting members and a rear edge overlying said bottom portion of the frame, said strip and supporting members forming a rampup which balls are adapted to roll into the net.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 841,611 Alsop Jan. l5, 1907 1,923,152 Kohn Aug. 22, 1933 1,935,174 Bisaillon Nov. 14, 1933 2,220,492 Piesco Nov. 5, 1940 2,232,569 Johnson Feb. 18, 1941 2,657,058 Mulcahy Oct. 27, 1953 

